CHARLES SYDNEY SPOONER (FOR JOHN BRANDT) | Important Cabinet on Stand

London, The New Gallery, The Arts and Crafts Society's Exhibition, 1910
London, St. Martin's College, Making Their Mark, September-November, 2000
London, The Fine Art Society, The Best Shop in London Part II, 2001, no.116

Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society Catalogue of the Ninth Exhibition, The New Gallery, Regent Street, London, 1910, p. 112, cat. no. 328 describes the present lot
The Studio: An Illustrated Magazine of Fine and Applied Art, vol. 49, London, 1910, n.p., illustrated
Adrian J. Tilbrook and Fischer Fine Art Limited, Truth, Beauty and Design: Victorian, Edwardian and Later Decorative Art, exh. cat., Fischer Fine Art Limited, London, 1986, p. 82, illustrated, p. 83, fig. 197 for a related example
John Andrews, Arts and Crafts Furniture, Suffolk, 2005, p. 216 for a related example

Overall in very good original condition. The wooden surfaces with minor scattered scuffs, scratches and shallow indentations throughout. The top surface with a few slightly deeper shallow indentations, the largest measuring approximately 12cm. The proper right corner of one door near the hinge with a hairline crack measuring approximately .5cm and is stable. The moulded detail on the doors with a few isolated and minor hairline cracks which are stable and not visually disruptive. The upper proper left moulding to the proper left door with a minor area of rubbing measuring approximately .5cm in diameter, visible in the catalogue illustration. The rear proper right moulding directly below the cabinet with a minor loss measuring approximately 1.5 cm. The base stretcher with a few hairline cracks concentrated near the centre, the largest measuring approximately 13cm and appears stable. The interior veneer with minor fine hairline cracks which are stable and not visually disruptive. All of the above are consistent with age and gentle use and contribute to the important provenance and history of this rare work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present lot is a rare and striking design of exceptional quality by one of the early founders of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Spooner was secretary of the Wood Handicrafts Society, based in Hammersmith where his own workshop, Elmdon & Co. was also located. The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society and New Gallery, founded 1887 and 1888 respectively, were critical outlets for the Arts and Crafts movement, gathering vociferous support from both William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. The present lot was included in the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society’s final exhibition at the New Gallery in 1910, priced at £52,10s. The gallery closed permanently shortly thereafter. Spooner was also a teacher of 'Design for Cabinetmakers, Metal Workers' for the Guild of Handicraft from 1899 until the late 1920s. Founded in 1896 and located at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, the aim of the school was to 'to encourage the industrial application of decorative design.' Alumni of the school included Edward Barnsley, who was under the tutelage of Spooner from 1922-1923.

Ralph Edwards, Keeper of the Furniture and Woodwork Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London had been Spooner’s friend and described him as ‘a learned ecclesiologist and man of fine taste, and closely identified with the Early Crafts Movement’.